2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leiken
A surname derived from the German word "leichen" meaning corpse or dead body.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Leiken. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leiken surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Leiken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leiken, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leiken
The surname Leiken has its origins in the German language, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century in the region of Bavaria. The name is derived from the Old German word "leik," meaning "play" or "sport," and may have initially referred to someone who was skilled at games or athletic activities.
In the 17th century, the name Leiken appeared in various German church records and legal documents, indicating its widespread use among families in Southern Germany. One notable early mention is in the Würzburg Parish Register of 1628, where a Johann Leiken is listed as a resident of the city.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Leikens, Leiken, and Leikin. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
The first recorded instance of the Leiken surname in Britain can be traced back to the late 18th century, when a family of German immigrants settled in the city of London. Hans Leiken, a merchant born in 1762 in Frankfurt, is believed to be one of the earliest bearers of the name in England.
Throughout the 19th century, the Leiken name gained prominence in various fields. Johann Leiken (1802-1878), a German composer and music theorist, made significant contributions to the development of musical notation and harmony. In the United States, Wilhelm Leiken (1819-1892), a German-born engineer, played a crucial role in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the most iconic landmarks in New York City.
Other notable individuals with the Leiken surname include:
1. Erich Leiken (1876-1944), a German artist known for his landscapes and portraiture during the early 20th century.
2. Greta Leiken (1901-1989), a Swedish novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of social injustice and women's rights.
3. Hans Leiken (1912-1998), a Swiss-born architect who designed several influential modernist buildings in Europe and North America.
4. Ingrid Leiken (1936-2021), a Norwegian diplomat and politician who served as Norway's Ambassador to the United Nations from 1990 to 1995.
5. Jakob Leiken (1948-present), a German-American physicist and academic, known for his groundbreaking research in quantum mechanics and particle physics.
While the Leiken surname may have originated from humble beginnings, it has left an indelible mark across various disciplines, reflecting the diverse talents and contributions of those who have carried this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leiken
Among Census respondents with the surname Leiken, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Leiken bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Leiken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 93
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leiken
Leiken appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-8 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,360 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 5,360 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Leiken surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #149,395 | #154,755 | -3.6% |
| Count | 110 | 102 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leiken bearers went from 110 to 102 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 5,360 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,755.
FAQ
Leiken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leiken?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Leiken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Leiken?
Leiken ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Leiken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Leiken.
Has Leiken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leiken went from 110 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Leiken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leiken, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and Black (2.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leiken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leiken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (5.9%), Black (2.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Leiken (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Leiken mean?
A surname derived from the German word "leichen" meaning corpse or dead body. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Leiken (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Leiken?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.